Education Overview

• Administration and Finance
• Size
• Structure
• Private and Public Education
• Academic Year
• Teacher Education

Administration and Finance:
 

The Department of Education, Culture and Sports (DECS) is the principal government agency responsible for education and manpower development.  The department is primarily responsible for the formulation, planning, implementation and co-ordination of the policies, standards, regulations, plans, programmes and projects in areas of formal and non-formal education at all levels. It also supervises all education institutions, both public and private.  The Department of Education has six bureaus under its control: Elementary Education, Secondary Education, Higher Education, Non-Formal Education, Technical and Vocational Education, and Physical Education and School Sports.

 

The Bureau of Elementary Education (BEE) is responsible for providing access and quality elementary education and focuses on social services for the poor and directs public resources and efforts at socially disadvantaged regions and specific groups.

 

The Bureau of Secondary Education (BSE) is responsible for providing access and quality secondary education. It is responsible for establishing secondary schools where there are none, and reviews the overall structure of secondary education as regards curriculum, facilities, and teachers� in-service training.

 

The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) is an entity separate from the DECS.  It is responsible for both public and private institutions of higher education as well as degree-granting programmes at all postsecondary educational institutions.

 

The national government is authorized by the Constitution and State policy to contribute to the financial support of educational programmes. Public elementary schools, national secondary schools, vocational and technical schools, and chartered and non-chartered tertiary institutions are funded primarily from national funds.  Local governments are encouraged to assume responsibility for non-national public schools. Private schools throughout the country are funded from capital investments, equity contributions, and tuition fees and other school charges, grants, loans, etc.  National and local governments may also contribute to the operation of private institutions.

 

Size:  
 

There are approximately 51,000 educational institutions, public and private, at all levels of education in the Philippines providing instruction to over 20,000,000 students.

 

Structure:
 

Education is offered through formal and non-formal systems. The number of years of formal schooling in the Philippines is one of the shortest in the world.  The educational ladder has a 6+4+4 structure, (i.e., six years of elementary education, four years of secondary education, and four years of higher education for a degree programme), except for some higher education programmes which require a longer period of study to complete a degree.

 

Pre-school education is optional; some private organizations and some public schools offer nursery and kindergarten classes. Some private exclusive schools offer seven years of elementary education, while others require pre-school or kindergarten education for admission.

 

There are two types of secondary school according to curricular offerings: the general high school and vocational high school. General high schools offer the four-year general academic secondary curriculum while vocational high schools offer the same secondary curriculum with additional vocational courses. A regional science high school is established in each of the country�s regions. Science high schools offer an enriched Science, Mathematics, and English curriculum in addition to requirements of the New Secondary Education Curriculum (NESC), which was established in 1992-93.

 

Education at the higher level is comprised of degree and non-degree programmes. Postsecondary or technical/vocational courses are non-creditable to degree programmes and these cover one month to three years of schooling. The higher education or degree programmes normally require at least four years of schooling. Non-formal education is an alternative delivery system, designed primarily for out-of-school youth and adults and focused on developing literacy and employable or productive skills and citizenship training.

 

(Source: Facts and Figures �97, Department of Education, Culture and Sports)

 

Private and Public Education
 

The private sector is a major provider of educational services in the Philippines. Approximately 7.5% of primary students are enrolled in private institutions, 32% of secondary students, and 80% of tertiary level students.

 

Academic Year:            
 

The academic year consists of 200 working days and extends from the first Monday in June through middle to late March.

 

Teacher Education:
 

Teachers in public and private elementary schools must have earned at least a bachelor�s degree in elementary education. Secondary school teachers are expected to have earned a bachelor�s degree in secondary education with specialization (major or minors) in secondary school subjects.  Both degrees must be earned in approved teacher education courses at recognized institutions.

 

All teaching degree programmes are four years in length. Non-education graduates may complete an 18-unit Certificate of Professional Education programme in order to qualify as primary or secondary teachers. After completion of these programmes, the students are required to take the Philippine Board Examination for Teachers to qualify them to teach both in the elementary and secondary levels.

 

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Source:  World Education Services.